Catching Up With Movies

I have some extra time these days, so I'm catching up with movies that I wanted to see last year but failed to do so because I did not have the time. :)

The first movie i saw yesterday was Into the Wild, which is based on a true story. It's about a young college graduate named Chris McCandless, and his quest for self discovery. Shortly after graduation, Chris gives his life savings to charity, burns all of his identification, and begins hitchhiking across America, his ultimate goal being Alaska. The film is directed by Sean Penn---- if you found the other movies that he directed boring, then this one will surely bore you to death. It's a slow moving film, and with a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, this film is not for those people who do not have any time to spare. It's an introspective film, perfect when you're in the mood for a little reflection. And while some may be turned off by the somewhat selfish pursuits of the lead character, most people could probably relate to his search for happiness and fulfillment... after all, those are the things that most of us have been searching for all our lives. His final realization--- that happiness is only real when shared, was truly a poignant moment. Is it any wonder why I really liked this movie?

The next movie--- The Mist. The movie is based from a short story by Stephen King. That's one reason why I wasn't interested in watching this movie. In general, movies based on literary works pale in comparison to the source material. In most cases, they suck. But movies based on Stephen King novels take suckdom to a whole new level. They really really really really REALLY suck. I don't know if it's because of financial constraints resulting to really bad special effects, or it's the simple fact that his stories cannot really translate well to the big screen. I mean, what happened to the film versions of literary gems such as The Stand, Apt Pupil, Hearts in Atlantis?! To those people who argue that The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Shining were great movies--- yeah, they're good. But try reading the original novels, and you'll see that they still suck--- even if it's only a bit.

That's why The Mist came as a pleasant surprise. It's directed by Frank Darabont, who also directed both The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption--- films that were considered as effective adaptations of the original novels. That's one point the film has got going for it. The small setting probably helped in making the feeling of dread much more easier to convey, but perfect casting was probably the major factor. For instance, the actress playing that religious fanatic was so good, I got so affected that I wanted to pull her from the TV screen and strangle her. LOL. As expected, the weakest scenes are the ones where the obviously fake CG monsters appear, but the during the scenes involving human interactions--- showing their weaknesses, personal conflicts, primordial reactions... the movie really shines that you'd soon forget those not so special effects. Who would've thought that a horror movie could turn out to be such a exceptional study of faith and human nature.

Another movie that I saw yesterday was Sunshine. Here's the synopsis: Five decades into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is running out of time. After the failure of a previous mission, it's up to the crew of the Icarus II to reignite the star with a stellar bomb--- to create a star within a star.

I'll go out on a limb and give it five stars. I usually like sci-fi movies that delve into the realm of pseudo reality, and I get absolutely ecstatic when I get to watch one that's done well. Sunshine is a film directed by Danny Boyle, the same guy who directed the movie 28 Days Later. That should already serve as a caveat--- if you're one of those people who failed to appreciate the genius shown by that zombie movie, then you're better off not watching Sunshine. If you don't mind talky and brooding movies, and if you're okay with movies that have a limited backdrop, then you might give this movie a try. After the first 20 minutes every scene becomes tension filled, and the feeling of claustrophobia can be overwhelming. The excellent cinematography deserves special mention--- it's like watching a NASA special feature. The acting is superb, Cillian Murphy is excellent as always. And who would've thought Chris Evans could look credible in a serious role? Sure it gets pretty generic in the third act, when it delves into slasher film territory... the ending was also predictable... and highly intellectual audiences could point out a number of factual errors... but taken in its entirety, no one can deny that this is one very polished film. This movie deserved so much more than what it made in the US box office. I mean--- total gross is only a little more than 3 million dollars?! WTF! The Dark Knight is still making that much on a single weekend day!

Anyway... I think these three films were great, and I highly recommend all of them. :)